Than a Carpenter

97 Pages·2016·0.51 MB·English

Table of Contents
Special Copyright Notice
Preface
Chapter 1: My Story
Chapter 2: What Makes Jesus So Different?
Chapter 3: Lord, Liar, or Lunatic?
Chapter 4: What about Science?
Chapter 5: The Challenge of the New Atheism
Chapter 6: Are the Bible Records Reliable?
Chapter 7: Who Would Die for a Lie?
Chapter 8: What Good Is a Dead Messiah?
Chapter 9: Did You Hear What Happened to Saul?
Chapter 10: Can You Keep a Good Man Down?
Chapter 11: Will the Real Messiah Please Stand Up?
Chapter 12: Isn’t There Some Other Way?
Chapter 13: He Changed My Life
Notes
About the Authors
MORE THAN A CARPENTER

by

JOSH McDOWELL
SEAN McDOWELL
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Carol Stream, Illinois
“The life of Jesus of Nazareth continues to shape our world 2,000 years later. More Than a
Carpenter will tell you why.”
J O
OHN RTBERG
Author and pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
“I found the original More Than a Carpenter persuasive when I was an atheist; you’ll find this
updated and expanded version even more compelling.”
L S
EE TROBEL
Author of The Case for Christ and The Case for the Real Jesus
“In a day when rational thought seems to be in short supply, More Than a Carpenter is an antidote
for the truth vacuum of our times.”
C K
HUCK LEIN
Youth and campus ministry advocate, Campus Crusade for Christ
“I loved this book when it first came out, to help me share Christ with my friends. I plan on using this
new edition with many people I love!”
J E
OHN LDREDGE
Author of Wild at Heart and Walking with God
“A masterful blend of scholarship and readability . . . that will appeal to both teens and adults alike.”
G S
REG TIER
President and CEO, Dare 2 Share Ministries
“Like millions of others, More Than a Carpenter helped lead me to Jesus Christ. I am excited to see
how God will use this book to change lives.”
M D
ARK RISCOLL
Pastor, Mars Hill Church
“This unapologetic search for truth challenges a new generation to take a closer look at Jesus.”
A S
NDY TANLEY
Senior pastor, North Point Community Church
“Josh and Sean McDowell present the claims of Christ in a clear and convincing way.”
D . J T
R OHN OWNSEND
Psychologist, speaker, and coauthor of Boundaries
“Josh and Sean have succeeded in improving a classic. More than a good read, it’s a game changer.”
W R
AYNE ICE
Cofounder of Youth Specialties
“Even more powerful and relevant for this generation.”
J B , P D
IM URNS H
President of HomeWord; author of Creating an Intimate Marriage and Confident Parenting
“After reading More Than a Carpenter, skeptics, spiritual seekers, and people of any faith will find
reasons to believe in the claims of Jesus and to follow him.”
A H
LEC ILL
President, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA
“The chapter dealing with the exclusivity of Jesus is the best treatment of this subject that I have
read.”
A M F
LEX C ARLAND
President, Southern Evangelical Seminary and the Veritas School of Apologetics
“Whether you are a longtime Christian or not sure about what you believe, you will be impacted by
More Than a Carpenter.”
R S . J
EBECCA T AMES
Singer, author, actress
Visit Tyndale’s exciting Web site at www.tyndale.com
TYNDALE is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Living Books is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
More Than a Carpenter
Copyright © 1977, 2005 by Josh McDowell. All rights reserved.
Revised and updated edition © 2009 by Josh McDowell Ministry and Sean McDowell. All rights
reserved.
Previously published by Tyndale House Publishers under ISBN 978-0-8423-4552-1.
Cover photo of wood curl copyright © by Gary Alvis/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.
Cover icon of chisel copyright © by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Designed by Erik M. Peterson
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation, second edition, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. (Some
quotations may be from the NLT, first edition, copyright © 1996.) Used by permission of Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright ©
1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by
permission.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982
by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NKJV is a trademark of Thomas
Nelson, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McDowell, Josh.
More than a carpenter / Josh McDowell, Sean McDowell. — [New, rev. ed.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-4143-2627-6 (sc : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4143-3380-9 (sc multi-packs)
ISBN 978-0-8423-6124-8 (eReader)
ISBN 978-1-4143-1897-4 (Mobipocket)
ISBN 978-1-4143-2420-3 (Sony Reader)
1. Jesus Christ—Person and offices. I. McDowell, Sean. II. Title.
BT203.M3386 2009
232—dc22 2008054623
To Dick and Charlotte Day,
whose lives have always reflected that
Jesus was more than a carpenter
Special Copyright Notice

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Preface

When I first sat down in 1976 with twelve legal pads, forty-eight hours of free time, and a lot of
coffee to write the book that would become More Than a Carpenter, I did so hoping that it would
help followers of Jesus to respond to questions about their faith, and inspire spiritual seekers to
honestly investigate the claims of Jesus. I never dreamed that the story of my personal journey from
skepticism to belief would ultimately sell more than fifteen million copies, be translated into nearly
one hundred languages, and inspire readers around the world to take a closer, deeper look at the
possibility of faith. I continue to be honored and humbled each time someone tells me that my book
made a difference in his or her life.
Yet I also continue to be struck by how much has happened in the world since More Than a
Carpenter first released. Discoveries have been made (and continue to be made) which shed light on
the historicity of Jesus Christ. “New Atheists” have entered the popular culture with books
proclaiming the end of faith and the downfall of God. And while today’s generation faces a whole
host of new issues and choices, they also continue to confront the age-old questions: Who is Jesus?
What proof is there that he was the son of God? And even if it were true, what difference would it
make to my life?
Based on all this, I decided it was time to give More Than a Carpenter a makeover for the
twenty-first century. So I invited my son, Sean, a well-known speaker, teacher, and writer on
apologetics and the Bible, to update the book with me. Sean brought his strong academic credentials
(a double master’s degree in philosophy and theology) to the table, along with his own experience as
an author, providing a welcome perspective on postmodern faith. The two of us worked together to
create a brand-new chapter, revised material, discussion questions, and a fresh look. The result is a
new edition of More Than a Carpenter that nonetheless retains its original hard-hitting examination
of the facts and unapologetic search for truth.
It is my profound desire and Sean’s that this book will have a transformational impact on a new
generation of people on a quest for spiritual clarity.
—JM